Behind the Front-of-House

With her warm smile and friendly disposition, Durrah is a familiar face at the front-of-house registration desk for all our events. Having been part of numerous programmes and projects, she’s seen how community engagement unfolds in all its unpredictability and depth. As the only programme executive for Both Sides Now (BSN), she’s involved in everything from behind-the-scenes coordination to front-of-house engagement — work that calls for a wide range of skill sets, often all at once.

Durrah started with ArtsWok as a Communication Executive Trainee nearly four years ago before joining as a full-timer on the programme team. With her training in the arts, she’s always had an interest in how creative practice can intersect with community. In this interview, she reflects on her time at ArtsWok so far and shares how her artistic instincts continue to shape how she works with people and programmes.

How did you first encounter ArtsWok and what made you decide to join us?

So, I was introduced to Both Sides Now (BSN) during one of my modules in school. Kok Heng Leun of Drama Box had been invited to speak about the project and its methodology. It was only when I was doing research for an assignment on socially engaged art that I discovered ArtsWok Collaborative co-produced BSN. Reading about ArtsWok at that time was an ‘aha’ moment for me – oh, this is cool – as I didn’t know such an organisation existed. That sparked my interest in ArtsWok’s work as a student, since I’ve always been passionate about various social issues, art, and the intersection between the two.

Another thing that drew me to ArtsWok was BSN’s focus on death and dying. At that point, it had been three years since my dad’s passing — so the project resonated with me. Shortly after graduation, I saw that there was an opening for a communication executive trainee. I was looking for an in at ArtsWok. When I learned I would be working on Mengukir Harapan, it was just nice that I am also a Malay-Muslim, so it really hit home for me. I knew that marketing for Mengukir Harapan would be important in order to reach out to my community. It also became a way to deal with my grief. A lot of what my family went through are actual issues that everybody has to deal with. Malay-Muslim funerary arrangements and planning can be a complex topic to engage with. So it didn’t feel like a job, it felt like I had more purpose. Like I was meant to work on this project, almost like a calling.

Durrah’s first project with ArtsWok, Mengukir Harapan, involved planning the marketing campaign, documenting audience interactions, and engaging in post-show conversations.

What were some of your early expectations about arts-based community development (ACD), and how have they evolved? What is something you didn’t know then that you’d wish to have known before you started?

When I first joined, I wanted to change the world, but I realised the world won’t change just because I want it to – it heavily depends on whether society is ready for change. And if the world doesn’t want to change, then how? Bopes is it? To be honest, it took me so long when I first joined to even understand what community engagement meant — let alone community development. I needed to re-read past BSN editions over and over again to understand this concept. And I’m still learning new things about it even today. My understanding of arts-based community development (ACD) when I joined was socially-engaged art. We hadn’t really gone in depth into community engagement and development at school. What I knew of ACD then was as a methodology artists use to work with people but I didn’t know how or where community came in. After working here for over three years, I’m beginning to have a better understanding of ACD. The community is at the core of it and the arts are just one of the several approaches we can adopt.

When I first started, the unexpected long-drawn processes of planning, discussing small details in collaterals, and post-production debriefs had me thinking: “Wait, why are we spending so much time on this? Why can’t we just do it?” But over time, I’ve come to realise that working in this field means managing various relationships — partners, artists, and collaborators — and working in different ways. That journey takes time and the process isn’t always linear. Actually, we’re often at the mercy of it.

Front-of-house duties span a wide range — from solving technical hiccups and prepping meals, to connecting with the senior collaborators across the day’s flow.

Could you tell us about a particular project, challenge, or turning point that shaped your growth in this field?

There are so many moments, but sometimes they’re a blur because I’m working. One I distinctly remember was the most recent community exhibition, tides. I was in a different headspace from when I was doing marketing and communications for Mengukir Harapan, where the focus was on raising awareness and managing publicity.

When I did tides, I witnessed how Salty (lead artist) had to develop a relationship with the seniors for nine months before the artwork could be created. That was very interesting to observe — seeing the seniors develop their artworks and come together to set up the exhibition. You had all these aunties wrapping cloth and ribbons around the pillars, helping Stacy (assistant artist) decorate and all that. It felt like preparing for a Hari Raya open house. Exhibitions are usually set up by curators or staff at formal or commercial spaces. In this instance, it was the community members who were doing it, and that’s when the community aspect of the work clicked for me.

Sometimes when I do the work, I get very invested in the admin side and lose myself in the process. When things get a bit strenuous or dry, I remind myself that these processes and various stages are necessary. For example, one of the seniors we were working with wanted to change their artwork title after the marketing collateral was done. If something like this were to happen in a typical exhibition, I’d probably put my foot down and advise otherwise. Working with the community usually means being a bit more flexible and working at their pace. Sometimes it’s about compromising, adapting, and just stepping back to realise, “Okay, this isn’t your regular exhibition set-up.” So I figured the exhibition is ultimately for them and they should be able to change the title if they want. While my arts manager-self was focused on meeting deadlines, I also wanted to respect the community member’s artistic journey and vision. I had to find a balance between that and how it affects the project — learning to manage all the moving parts. In that process, I realised that this exhibition could only happen with and within the community. A community exhibition cannot exist with just the lead artist presenting it separately from the community. While it could be done, I think the community exhibition would lose its magic, the whole essence of it.

You mentioned your “arts manager-self”, but you’re also an artist. So how do you find the balance between the artistic, logistical, and relational aspects of programme management? What keeps you motivated?

I’m still figuring out the balance. I knew that when I went into arts management, I’d definitely have to wear different hats. That’s part of the job. If anything, I feel like sometimes I wear too much of the arts manager hat that I lose the perspective of looking at it artistically, critically, and creatively.

Being a trained artist myself allows me to be empathetic to the creative process. As much as I’d like to complete a task, I find myself understanding why an artist works a certain way. It also helps me to easily and confidently share the creative value of the project, beyond meeting KPIs, when talking to funders. That’s when I wear my artist hat. Not only am I a voice for ArtsWok, I’m also representing the artists coming on board with us. Our arts approach is a unique selling point for ArtsWok. So my artist background does help me to advocate for the arts.

How I keep myself motivated is by tapping on my creative side, doing my hobby of pottery making. I still try to attend arts events. Arts managers and producers are always working behind the scenes and we never get to experience it through the lens of the audience. You miss out on that perspective. So when I attend arts events, I get to be on the receiving end and fully immerse myself in the art (and not have to think about project managing it). And when I do get the rare chance to experience community-engaged art, it’d be a very different perspective altogether — my way of being able to appreciate the work I do.

What also keeps me motivated is seeing that the work we do is not just one-off and there’s long-term impact. This is especially so when I can see how it affects the community. Our senior collaborator Yim Fong, for instance, was inspired to solo travel after participating in our project — that change keeps me going.

A moment when Durrah’s artistic practice and community engagement came together at ArtsWok’s zine-making activity for Goodman Arts Centre’s Open House 2025.

Where do you see the field of arts-based community development heading, and what role do you hope to play in it?

I hope it grows beyond ArtsWok. For more organisations to take up arts-based practices. While community development is already being taught in schools, arts-based approaches are a whole other lens. Where I see this happening is in educational institutions, art schools, etc but I hope it is deinstitutionalised. I’d like for arts-based community development to be in our day-to-day practice, not just as a model or theory.

I hope more people form communities organically – it doesn’t have to be formal. Art is just one way to get to know each other. I hope that ACD is embedded into Singapore society. And I definitely will be a contributing member. It doesn’t even have to be the arts. I’m open to other possibilities, to going into spaces and then bringing the arts.

If you can only eat one thing, what would it be and why?

Why would you do this to me?! Can I choose a cuisine? Dessert would be tiramisu, but only for now. I think it’d be a milo dinosaur. For my main course, I’d say maggi goreng combo because the combo can change at any time based on the chef or vibe of the day. It could be like a beef steak, fries with cheese, butter chicken.

Oh, maybe the maggi goreng is the art, then the combo is the community! The combos can come in different variations just like how two communities aren’t ever the same. When you go into different communities, you don’t know what to expect but it’s always going to be good, and that’s the beauty of it.